Winter sunset

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)

Although I've been very quiet lately on the blog, I have started the year with a fresh motivation to create and to be more consequent than I was until now. It's been a year since I have moved in a little town near Paris, on the Marne's charming waterfront. This place fills my soul with beauty every day, I didn't dream better than this. A fairytale town by the water, surrounded by nature and filled with beautiful houses.

I wanted to start with something new, a theme that I’ve never illustrate before, "sunset on the water", and it speaks about the beauty of winter, the way I see it,because I love all seasons the same, and I wouldn't dare to say that one is more beautiful than another. :)

The month of January, is probably the hardest month of the year for many, because winter hollydays are over, the days are short and foggy, it's very cold outside and spring seems to be miles away. The thing is that we are always waiting for something, and we forget that life is what happens right now, in the present, and once a day said good bye it said it for good, it will never come back again, we can never live the same day twice. I agree, winter can be so uncomfortable sometimes, especially when you have to wake up early and go to work, and outside its still dark, as my dear husband does, but leaving aside all these, when was the last time when you were really looking at nature closely, in winter? Have you noticed how the trees with their black branches are holding the sky at sunset? Oh whaou its magical, I promise! And what about the multitude of plants that winter has, fresh or dried, and the sun light during the day which is so gentle and silken when it falls over the objects and over the streets and their houses...

Life is a gift, and so it is all that is surrounding us ! If we would look more carefully to the things and people that are around us, if we would search to make them happy with small gestures , like our entire attention in some moments or more often than we do it... If we would fight more to build our lives on the things that are valuable indeed, we would soon find out that life is a miracle. There is a thought that has remain in my mind since few weeks ago, and it sounds like this : "God didn't created the birds just to stay quietly on a tree branch waiting for food to fall from the sky, even though He promised to them that He will provide for all their needs. But instead He put inside them the instinct to search for food, to fly and take what was promised to them." And this is us, we wait for things to change without wanting to make the smallest effort in changing us, in changing our priorities... But no one is born thankful, or good, or with a natural ability to see the good more than the bad, and as the apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:11 "For I have learned to be content", so as us, we must discipline ourselves daily to cultivate in our life good virtues.

The blessing always come when I choose wisely, when I choose to do what is right, and when I give myself to others in need, the change begins with us, and all can start today, with small steps. :)

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Apus de iarna

"Orice ni se da bun si orice dar desavarsit este de sus, coborandu-se de la Tatal luminilor, in care nu este nici schimbare, nici umbra de mutare." Iacov 1:17

Desi am lipsit cam mult de pe aici, am inceput anul cu avant proaspat in a crea si dorinta de a fi mai consecventa decat pana acum! De un an locuiesc intr-un orasel langa Paris, pe malul Marnei, un loc in care sufletul imi este hranit cu frumusete zilnic, nici ca visam mai bine de atat. Un orasel de poveste, inconjurat de natura si case parca luate din alte timpuri.

Am vrut sa incep cu ceva nou, o tema neabordata de mine pana acum, "apus de iarna pe apa", si este o ilustratie despre frumusetea ierii, asa cum o vad eu, caci iubesc toate anotimpurile la fel de mult, si nu as indrazni sa spun ca unul este mai frumos decat altul. :)

luna ianuarie, este probabil luna cea mai grea pentru multi, se termina sarbatorile, zilele sunt scurte si friguroase, eh pana si zapada devine greu de suportat pentru unii, caci nah dupa Anul Nou asteptam sa vina primavara, si uite asa ne-am obisnuit sa asteptam mereu cate ceva si uitam ca viata se intampla acum, in momentul prezent! Sunt de acord ca iarna e un anotimp inconfortabil uneori, mai ales cand trebuie sa te trezesti dimineata sa mergi la servici si afara e inca noapte, cum e si cazul dragului meu sot, dar lasand la o parte toate acestea, cand a fost ultima data cand ai privit natura indeaproape? Ai vazut oare cum copacii cu bratele lor negre-albastrui tin cerul la apus ? Ai observat frumusetea plantelor de iarna cu bobitele lor colorate, sau chiar plantele uscate pline de nervuri si petale transparente? Sau lumina sarelui din timpul zilei care nu e sticloasa ca in timpul verii, ci mult mai blanda si catifelata..

Viata este un dar, si totul in jur la fel! Daca ne-am uita mai atent la tot ceea ce ne inconjoara, la creatie, la oamenii din jur, daca am cauta sa ii fericim cu gesturi marunte cum ar fi atentia noastra intreaga in anumite momente, sau in cat mai multe momente… daca ne-am stradui mai mult sa cladim lucrurile care conteaza cu adevarat, curand am ajunge la concluzia ca viata este un miracol! Mi-a ramas un gand in minte de acum cateva duminici de la biserica, si el suna cam asa : "Dumnezeu nu a creat pasarile sa stea pe o creanga si sa astepte sa le cada mancarea din cer, macar ca El a spus ca se va ingriji de ele zilnic. Ci a pus in ele instinctul acela de a-si cauta hrana." In acelasi fel si noi, nu putem sta si astepta sa cada totul de sus, ci trebuie sa urmam instinctul de face fapte care sa duca la schimbarea noastra, la schimbarea circumstantelor si cladirea unei vieti frumoase. Nimeni nu se naste multumitor de la sine din cate stiu eu, nimeni nu se naste bun, sau cu tendinta de a vedea binele mai mult decat raul, dar asa cum Apostolul Pavel a spus in epistola catre Filipeni 4:11 "M-am deprins sa fiu multumit" , tot astfel si noi trebuie sa ne deprindem zilnic cu disciplina de a cultiva in viata noastra lucrurile care sunt benefice. Binecuvantarea vine intotdeauna cand fac alegerile corecte, cu intelepciune si daruire de sine, iar schimbarea incepe cu mine, chiar astazi, cu pasi marunti dar siguri… :)

make time to rest, make time to give

I know, it's autumn outside, and I had prepared a story about summer, but actually only the photos are about summer, because the thoughts I am about to write have no specific season. :)

These photos are from the shining days of summer, the days I spent in Aveyron with Seraphine (my niece), days of joy and rest. This is exactly the subject that I want to speak about. I will write about restfulness, self giving, and availability in a society where everyone has too many "important" things to do.

Is it age, or the responsibilities that grow alongside with age that makes us so busy, and makes us to have no time anymore for meetings with one another? Or is it that we are immersed in a sea of selfishness and ease, and the things that should be in the top of our priority list are put in the "non urgent" list?

But, what's urgent in this life? Is it to arrive at the top of your dreams no matter what? If it's just it, what's the purpose, just to boast in ourselves and to prove that we've made it? Oh, the emptiness of our actual society... Oh, how we've forgotten that "happier is to give than to receive"... Yes, to be a giver of self, because the act of giving starts first in our hearts. I'm thinking, helping others to arrive at their own destinations could slow down our progress, but isn't it better to arrive later and together, than to arrive faster and alone? Alone = empty, poor...

What kind of place would this Earth be, if each of us would start to live as a giver of self? There would be no depression, no hatred, no envy, no many other harm things... we would in fact start to be humans, and this is exactly how humans were created to be in the beginning.

What if, my purpose every day would be to bring a smile in the heart of someone? :)

We have expectations regarding everyone and everything, and all is rightfully ours, but aren't we "the world", isn't it our responsibility to make the world a better place to live in by changing ourselves first?

Self-giving, thankfulness, humbleness, have become such unusual virtues among us, that's why we are so poor.

We don't have to be rich to be able to give, we only have to have a right view of life and higher values. The poor widow from the Bible story, had given all she had, two pence. So if I have two pence or two hours, I can use them with a heavenly purpose. I can visit a friend, or someone who needs fellowship, I can cook a meal for someone who lives on the street and the list can go on... There are numberless ways to serve, we only have to be available. If our values would be higher than our own sphere of success, higher than our own family, we would have no more time to complain about one another or to be ungrateful, and our lives would be enriched with more beauty and would have an everlasting purpose. Amen

"If I renounce of myself, I can serve Christ."

Richard Wurmbrandt

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Timp pentru odihna, timp pentru daruire

Suntem in plina toamna iar eu am pregatit o poveste despre vara, defapt mai mult fotografiile sunt despre vara, caci gandurile ce urmeaza sa le scriu nu au anotimp.
Fotografiile sunt din zilele insorite petrecute cu Seraphine, in Aveyron, la ferma, in campie, prin paduri, si in varful muntelui. Acele zile de odihna si bucurie in mijlocul vietii ocupate pe care o au adultii. Si tocmai despre asta vreau sa vorbesc, despre odihna, despre daruire de sine si despre a fi disponibil intr-o societate cu prea multe lucruri "importante" de facut.
Este oare varsta si implicit responsabilitatile care cresc odata cu varsta, ce ne fac sa nu mai avem timp suficient unii pentru altii? Sau pur si simplu ne scufundam intr-o mare de egoism si comoditate, iar lucrurile care ar trebui sa fie defapt prioritati au trecut in categoria "nu e urgent"?
Dar ce e urgent in viata asta? Urgent e oare sa ajung cat mai sus, cu orice pret si cat mai repede?

Ma tot gandesc, ce sens este sa ajung sus daca ajung singura?

De aceea exista atat de multa goliciune si lipsa de sens in societatea noastra actuala, pentru ca oamenii par sa fi uitat ca " mai ferice este sa dai decat sa primesti." Sa te dai, da, pentru ca daruirea de sine este prima forma a daruirii defapt, iar daruirea autentica incepe mai intai in launtrul nostru si apoi in exterior, prin fapte.
Mai bine ajung mai tarziu la destinatie, si ajung impreuna cu altii, decat sa ajung mai repede dar singur. Viata nu este despre a fi cat mai sus, sau despre a avea, a poseda, ci despre a darui. Cum ar fi Pamantul pe care locuim, daca am fi toti daruitori de sine ? Cum ar fi daca zilnic, prioritatea mea ar fi sa inseninez viata cuiva? :)
Avem asteptari si plangeri cu privire la toti si toate, totul ni se cuvine... dar nu suntem noi "lumea" defapt, si nu cu noi ar putea incepe Cerul chiar de aici de pe Pamant?
Daruirea, multumirea, smerenia au devenit virtuti tot mai rar intalnite, si de aceea am devenit tot mai saraci. Nu trebuie sa fii bogat in bani sau in timp ca sa poti darui, ci doar valorile noastre trebuie sa se inalte mai sus decat decat sinele nostru. Vaduva saraca din povestirea biblica, ce a daruit doi banuti, a daruit tot ce avea. De aici inteleg ca atitudinea noastra este cea care face ca lucrarea sa fie mareata sau nu.
Restabilirea valorilor ne pot duce la trairea unei vieti abundente.
Daca am doi banuti sau doua ore libere, atat... le pot folosi cu scop ceresc, sa ma odihnesc in Dumnezeu, sa vizitez un prieten sau un om care are nevoie de partasie, sa pregatesc pranzul pentru un om ce sta pe strada...etc. Sunt nesfarsite feluri de a sluji si la indemana fiecaruia. Daca valorile noastre s-ar inalta mai sus decat sfera propriei reusite si mai inalte decat prosperitatea propriei familii, daca am cauta sa indeplinim mai mult nevoile altor oameni decat pe ale noastre, nu am mai avea timp sa ne plangem unii de altii sau sa fim nemultumitori, iar viata noastra ar capata o mare frumusete si un scop vesnic. Amin

"Daca ma lepad de eu, pot sluji Lui Hristos."

Richard Wurmbrandt